


Radiant Garden Restoration Committee's First Annual Ski Trip

by voidisa



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Denial of Feelings, Feelings, Feelings Realization, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Gay Panic, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, M/M, Please Kill Me, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Smut, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:33:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27786799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voidisa/pseuds/voidisa
Summary: ...and there was only one bed. ;)
Relationships: Demyx/Ienzo (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Radiant Garden Restoration Committee's First Annual Ski Trip

**Author's Note:**

> Just some holiday smut for you guys. It's kinda long, so buckle up, buckaroos. The first half of this is just gay panic, so if you want to skip that and get straight to the filth, then go for it. You will probably never see me write something like this ever again, so enjoy while it lasts. :)

Ienzo shivered against the cold wind blowing across the mountainside and rushed forward underneath Aeleus’s large arm, which held the door open for them. He made sure he was the first one inside, where he was greeted with the warmth of a fireplace roaring on the other side of the room and the minty smell of tea boiling. Perfect. Just what he needed. It was cold to the point that, if hell existed, Ienzo would believe it was made of snow and ice rather than fire, because this was miserable. 

“Welcome!” a muscular man with a thick blonde mustache called from behind the counter. He waved enthusiastically at the people walking in and stomping off the snow on their thick boots, smiling as if there wasn’t a snowstorm raging outside. “You must be the Radiant Garden crew. We’ve been expecting you. My name is Henrik, and I will be here all weekend to ensure that your stay is the best that it can be.” 

“Wonderful,” Ansem the Wise said, already slipping off his coat and hanging it on the coat rack. “Thank you so much for letting us attend your beautiful inn this weekend. We’re very excited to be here.” 

There were murmurs of agreement as others slipped off their coats and hats, but Ienzo simply pulled his thick, woolen jacket closer around him and buried his face into his scarf. His skin was like ice, and even with the flames quietly crackling so close to him, he didn’t think he would unthaw anytime soon. 

“What a great looking group you have!” Henrik exclaimed, coming out from behind the counter to shake hands with all of them. Ienzo was normally not so impolite, but when Henrik reached him, he simply nodded to him, choosing to keep his gloved hands shoved deep into his pockets for fear if he removed them, his fingers would fall off. “We’re very thrilled to have you all here. Is this your first time visiting Arendelle?” 

“Yes,” Even replied. “None of us has ever been here before.” 

Henrik chuckled, a hearty sound that was warm like the fire. “Even better! We hope that the snowstorm hasn’t ruined your stay, and we hope that after spending the weekend here, you’ll be back for many more.” 

Ienzo grumbled under his breath. He wasn’t aware how badly the cold bothered him until now, but in these below freezing temperatures, he thought that he would rather lose his heart and become a Nobody again than have to deal with this. Still, it was warm inside, and he thought that after he got a nice cup of tea, things would be okay for him. 

“Come, let me show you around the inn,” Henrik said. 

Ienzo wasn’t entirely sure how this trip had been planned. The Restoration Committee had been perfectly fine doing their work in Radiant Garden, never complaining, never letting up on their work. Ienzo spent most of his days in the lab, where he was the most at peace with the world, and when he was needed, he would attend meetings. Most days, it was back and forth between his room and the lab, though, hardly ever sleeping and spending most of the time reading, writing notes, conducting experiments, and researching. That made sense to him. It was something that made him feel like he was getting back to normal again. 

And then Demyx happened. 

He was back to normal, just like the rest of them were, but he refused to use his real name, and instead of going back to wherever he came from, he chose to stay in Radiant Garden and join the Restoration Committee. Which was fine. At first. Perhaps it was because of the familiarity or perhaps it was because no one else wanted to deal with him, but eventually, Demyx found his way into the lab, and he spent almost every minute at Ienzo’s side, chattering and distracting him so much that he’d fallen three months behind the schedule he’d carefully made for himself and his research. _Three months._

It was hard to complain, though. Somewhere along the line, Ienzo started kind of enjoying his company. And then he started enjoying it more. And then, something strange happened. Something he had never wanted to happen, something he hadn’t planned. He started seeing Demyx in a different way. A weird way. Like, sometimes he would imagine what would happen if he just reached up and took Demyx’s hand, if he would push him away or if he would hold it back. Was his skin callused from their Organization days or smooth like water? What would happen if he kissed him? What did he taste like? Would he wrap his arms around Ienzo and draw him close? They could kiss for hours, late into the night. Ienzo could drag him back to his bedroom, and they could undress each other. He was sure Demyx looked incredible with no clothes on. He could touch him and taste him and elicit such sweet, provocative sounds from him as he went down on him. 

He mostly blamed the thoughts on the fact that he had denied himself romantic relationships in his pivotal years, unlike so many of the other Organization members, but that wasn’t quite the case, no matter how badly he wanted it to be. Demyx had done something to him, touched some part of his heart that had been lying dormant his entire life, and now it was awake and craving him. 

Then the bastard decided to suggest they go on a retreat. 

_Why?_ Ansem the Wise had asked. _What purpose would that serve? We’re needed here._

A chance for them to step away from their work and think outside the box, to look at things from a different angle. A chance for all of them to get to know each other outside of their work, too. That could help them in the future, since they would all know each other better and be able to work together more successfully. What better way to accomplish these things than a weekend ski trip to Arendelle? 

The rest of the Radiant Garden crew thought it was the most brilliant thing anyone had ever suggested. Ienzo had thought it would be a waste of time. Nevertheless, what Ansem the Wise said was what they had to do, so now, thanks to Demyx and his desire to never work, they were stuck here, and Ienzo was freezing his ass off. 

“This is the den area,” Henrik said, gesturing toward the cozy area where the fireplace was. Two big couches wrapped around the room, as well as comfy-looking armchairs with thick blankets draped over them. Several deer heads were mounted on the wall, as well as a moose and a bear. Their dead, emotionless eyes seemed to gaze down upon the travellers in judgment. “This is probably where you’ll all be conducting your meetings. It’s the coziest room here.” 

Ienzo could agree with that. He carefully pushed his way through Cloud and Dilan, making his way to the fireplace as Henrik continued talking, giving them a brief history of the place as it had changed throughout the years. He had to force his mouth shut to keep from moaning in pleasure. The warmth was indescribably amazing, and he could feel his tense muscles and shivering bones starting to wake up again from their forced hibernation. His body still shook slightly, but he felt safe pulling his scarf away from his face and his hands out of his pockets. Carefully, he slipped off the gloves that Even had bought him from the trip and held his hands up to the flames, sighing in relief. If he closed his eyes, he could probably fall asleep here on this bearskin rug, and he wouldn’t have to think about the freezing world that was trying to kill him. 

“Having fun yet?” a voice said far too loudly in his ear, and he jumped, flinging one of his gloves into the flames as he rounded on the person who dared to interrupt his silent reverie. 

“Demyx!” he exclaimed, slapping him in the shoulder with his remaining glove. “Even bought me these! They’re my only pair.” 

“Sorry,” Demyx said, shrugging. The smile on his face told Ienzo that he was anything but. “I didn’t make you throw it into the fire.” 

“You _scared_ me!” 

“Didn’t think you would be so jumpy.” He tilted his head to the side. Even underneath the beanie that Aerith had knitted for him, his dirty blonde hair was escaping and falling into his eyes. It was incredibly distracting. Ienzo kept looking in between that and the little smile on Demyx’s lips, which he desperately wanted to kiss away because he looked far too happy for these miserable conditions. “What were you thinking about anyway?” 

“Nothing,” Ienzo grumbled, stuffing his glove into his pocket and then drawing his hands into his sleeves. He turned away from his colleague and back to the fireplace. “I’m just cold.” 

“Oh. Want my jacket?” 

Ienzo’s eyes widened, and he rounded on him again. “No!” he spat out far too hastily, which seemed to confuse Demyx. He already had one of his arms out of the coat before Ienzo had said anything, but he quickly slid it back on, his eyebrows turning down in concern as he gazed at Ienzo. “I mean...I’ll be fine. Thanks, though.” 

He hoped that the fire was a good enough excuse for why his cheeks seemed to be set aflame, because he was sure that he was blushing fiercely. But really, what would people think if he was wearing Demyx’s coat? It wasn’t as if they were together. 

Perhaps he was overreacting. It was just a coat, after all. No one would think anything of it. He, on the other hand, would probably have some sort of emotional crisis if he wore it. It would smell like Demyx. And then, while he was wearing it, he would smell like Demyx. And strangely, Demyx smelled good. Really, really good. Like vanilla and bergamot and a dash of cucumber. After all, that was the kind of soaps and shampoo he used. 

“Onward to the next room!” Henrik exclaimed, waving them forward. They surged in one big wave, like a school group on a field trip to the museum. Ienzo trailed along at the back close to Tifa and Leon, reluctant to leave the warmth of the fireplace. As soon as this tour was over, he would return with his tea and sit down with a good book. Maybe it would be a good night after all. 

“This is the dining area,” Henrik said, sweeping his arm around a large room filled with tables and chairs. The theme here seemed to be deer antlers. Every piece of furniture, it seemed, was carved out of some sort of antler, which didn’t look comfortable at all, but Henrik beamed as if this was the room he was proudest of. Ienzo grimaced. Perhaps the man had crafted these himself, but Ienzo couldn’t imagine being comfortably seated in antlers. 

“We’ll have staff on call at all hours of the day for you,” Henrik went on, “and we have an excellent menu lined up for everyone.” 

“Is anyone else staying here this weekend?” Tifa asked, frowning as she looked around the room. 

“Oh, yes,” Henrik replied. “We’re all booked up, actually. Lots of people from out of town are here for the ice festival. Queen Elsa has been preparing for months, and many of our guests booked these rooms weeks ago. I apologize for the inconvenience to any of you, but we did the best we could with the limited rooms we had.” 

Ienzo shivered, drawing his coat close to him again. It was cold in here, much colder than the den area. There was another fireplace stoked and giving off plenty of heat, but it was so far away, and it didn’t cancel out the chill that came from the wide windows along the wall. 

They hadn’t discussed sleeping arrangements. He assumed that he would probably stay in a room with Even, because that’s what he normally did. When they’d first arrived back in Radiant Garden, Ienzo hadn’t had his own room until Ansem made the remark that he was certainly no longer a child anymore and needed his own lodging. As much as Ienzo appreciated Even and all he had done to care for him, Ansem was right. Ienzo needed his own space. 

“Even,” he whispered, nudging the older man in the arm as Henrik continued talking, “we’re staying together, right?” 

“On the contrary, Ansem and I have decided to share a room,” Even replied. “There’s quite a bit of work to be done, and it would be beneficial for us to be close together. We’ll probably be up late at night talking and planning anyway.” 

Well. Ienzo hadn’t expected that. He looked around at all of the people that had attended, wondering if any of them had discussed or planned sleeping arrangements for the trip. Even if they hadn’t, he could easily pick out who was staying with who, which meant he was left with…

He swallowed against the lump in his throat. Rooming with Demyx wouldn’t be so bad. He was messy, sure, but how much mess could a person make in two days? And if they ever had to change clothes, surely there would be a bathroom for them to do so in. There shouldn’t be any awkwardness. Just two friends -- if “friends” was really the right word -- sharing a room for a couple of days. Then everything would be back to normal. 

“Check out this view!” Demyx exclaimed. He had his face pressed against the window, gazing out at what appeared to be, where Ienzo was standing, white nothingness. Everyone else joined him as Henrik went into detailing the history of the land and fun facts about the mountain. Ienzo hesitated to move, still shivering from the cold seeping in from outside, but when Demyx turned around and fixed his beautiful blue eyes on Ienzo’s face, his feet started moving of their own accord. “Come on, you have to see this.” 

Ienzo squeezed himself in between Demyx and Aerith, gazing out across the winter wonderland around them. The sight nearly took his breath away. While they’d been trekking up here through the wind and snow, he’d absolutely despised every second of it and thought he would be perfectly content never seeing another snowflake again, but this...this was enchanting. He could see now why people loved it. Everywhere he looked, it was a thick, endless blanket of white, unmarred by humans. It lay heavy on the evergreen trees, weighing their limbs down, and it swirled on the wind like it was doing some sort of wintery dance. He didn’t believe that anything was perfect, but this was the closest thing to it. 

When he turned his gaze away, he noticed that Demyx was staring at him, and every inch of him froze like the ice outside. He let out a shaky breath and leaned away, his nerves getting the better of him. “W-what?” he asked. 

Demyx tilted his head to the side, considering him for a second, then smiled. “Your nose is red.” He reached out and poked Ienzo’s nose, which shouldn’t have caused such a knee-jerk reaction, but it did, and Ienzo was pushing him away before he had even processed what happened because all he knew was that Demyx had touched his face, and he’d never done that before. 

This was infuriating. Ienzo had lived so close to him for years and years in the Castle That Never Was, and he’d never even thought twice about him, but now, he couldn’t get him off his mind. Each little touch sent shivers up his spine, and even if Demyx just accidentally brushed against him in the lab, he couldn’t get it out of his head for days afterward, and he would find himself thinking in the late hours of the night how badly he wanted Demyx’s hands all over him. 

It simply wasn’t fair. The human heart was a fickle and complicated thing that no amount of experiments or equations could explain. There was no explanation as to why Ienzo felt the way he did about Demyx; they were polar opposites, after all. But he liked him. A lot. And if he wasn’t careful, he would make himself into a fool just like Demyx pretended to be. 

“Are you still cold?” Demyx asked, his voice laced with concern. 

Ienzo nodded, pulling his scarf up to cover part of his face. “Yes, but I’ll survive. I’ll grab a cup of tea once we get settled in.” 

Demyx unwrapped his own scarf, then slung it around Ienzo’s neck and wound it around until it covered most of Ienzo’s face. He laughed, his eyes twinkling with delight. “Since you wouldn’t take my coat. Hope that helps.” 

“It does. Thanks.” It was all he could say. It would be rude to take it off and give it back to him, but honestly, now that he had it wrapped around him, he wasn’t sure if he would ever give it back. It really wasn’t fair. Demyx could turn his back on him and be so unaffected by gestures like this. Meanwhile, Ienzo was struggling to breathe. He wasn’t even sure if he could make any of his limbs work. 

“Come, let me show you all to your rooms,” Henrik said. “I apologize again. We were very limited in our options, but I hope this doesn’t affect your stay too much. You’ll all have to share with at least one other person, so I hope there’s someone you like on this trip. We do charge if the room gets destroyed, so no fighting.” He chuckled, walking behind the front counter to retrieve the keys to the rooms. “How do I need to pass these out? Who’s staying with who?” 

People started shifting around, making their way to the person they had already decided on spending the weekend with, and the groups of two were just as Ienzo had expected. He cast a glance in Even’s direction, halfway hoping that he would change his mind at the last second, but Henrik was already handing him and Ansem their keys, so it was too late for familiarity. 

He felt a hand clap down on his shoulder, and he knew from the way goosebumps rose along his skin that it was Demyx. He sucked in a breath and stole a glance at him, and he was smiling as if he'd just won some sort of great prize as he held his hand out for the keys. "We'll be in a room together," he said. 

Henrik returned the smile and handed the brass keys over to Demyx, then looked at Ienzo. "He gave you his scarf," he remarked. "That's very sweet. You two are a cute couple." 

"We're not --" Ienzo tried to say, but Henrik had already turned his back, and Demyx had run away to gather their things and get to the room. Any correction wouldn't matter at this point. 

He heard someone snort from behind him, and he rounded on Leon, who was, as predicted, sharing a room with Cloud. "Didn't know you two were together," he said. "How's that working out?" 

"It isn't," Ienzo hissed, flustered. "I mean, we're not -- do you think I would like someone like that?" 

Leon shrugged. "Opposites attract." 

Then he was gone too. Ienzo sighed, carefully removing the second scarf from around his face. He wouldn't need it anymore because it already felt like his skin was burning. 

He shouldn't like Demyx. He shouldn't. It didn't make any sense. How could he go for years ignoring all of his antics in the Organization and then suddenly see him in a different light? And why the hell did he even like him in the first place? They were completely and totally opposite. Any attempt at dating would just result in heartbreak in the end, he was sure of it. 

But that was assuming Demyx was willing to date him, which he was not. 

He sighed again as he made his way to the front door, where staff members were bringing in their bags from the sleds outside. When did he become the desperate one? It was a tragedy, really. 

"I hope I didn't upset you," Demyx said as Ienzo slung his bag over his shoulder. "I just thought, you know, I know you better than everyone else, so it would be okay." 

"It's fine," Ienzo grumbled. He shifted his scarf on his face to try to cover the blush crawling onto his cheeks, then handed Demyx his scarf back. "I'll probably be out here most of the time anyway. It's not a big deal. So we're sleeping in the same room." He shrugged, mostly trying to convince himself and not Demyx. 

It was fine. Really. Meetings out here all day, traversing on the mountain when the weather permitted, and sleeping in the same room at night. For two days. Not a big deal. Not a big --

The key clicked in the lock, and Ienzo stepped into the room behind Demyx. Immediately, his heart felt like it had plummeted down to his feet, and his lungs constricted so much he thought they probably just shriveled up completely. 

There was only one bed. 

"Well, wouldya look at that?" Demyx said, tossing his bag onto the floor. "Guess you and I are gonna be getting real close this weekend." He elbowed Ienzo in the ribs, shooting him a wink, then jumped onto the bed with a loud plop that knocked the two pillows onto the floor. "Oops." 

Ienzo picked one of them up and tossed it at Demyx as hard as he could, which just resulted in Demyx laughing uncontrollably as he put it back in place. He had a nice laugh. It always felt so genuine. Ienzo wasn't a funny person for the most part, but he loved to make Demyx laugh on those rare occasions. 

It almost made him forget the current dilemma he found himself in. But not quite. 

"No offense, Demyx," he said, "but I've never been very good at sharing my space. I need a little bit of room, and --" 

"There's plenty of room here!" Demyx exclaimed, spreading his arms and legs to demonstrate the width. "Come on, it'll be fun!" 

"What is your definition of fun?" 

"Staying up late, talking about life, the universe. Just whatever. Hey, I could play my sitar for you!" Demyx jumped up so fast that Ienzo flinched, and he unzipped the bag that carried his instrument and pulled it out triumphantly, strumming a few strings. It made Ienzo feel weak in the knees. Was he the best musician in the world? Absolutely not. Would Ienzo listen to him play discordant notes and sing off-key for hours? Without hesitation. 

But he couldn't let Demyx know _how much_ he enjoyed it and how much he appreciated the time he spent together. It would make things weird. 

And speaking of, why was Demyx acting so unbelievably chill about this? It wasn't a chill situation. But Demyx was a pretty calm person, for the most part. And also, he didn't have a massive crush he was trying to hide. So why would there be any reason for him to freak out? 

"Do you know any songs?" Demyx asked. "You can sing along with me." 

"No, thank you," Ienzo said. He'd never sang in his life, and he wasn't going to do it now, when he knew for a fact he was bad at it. He was a math and science guy. That stuff made sense. But art? Music? It was just as cryptic and erratic as Demyx. 

Maybe he would like that too, if given a chance. Developing a crush on Demyx was definitely a surprise he wasn't prepared for. 

“I’ve brought all of my journals from home,” he said, hoping that his voice didn’t sound as panicked as he felt, “and I think I’m going to stay in the den and look through them for a while.” 

“Cool! I’ll come with you!” Demyx exclaimed, tossing his sitar to the side. 

“No, it’s okay,” Ienzo said, though he wondered why Demyx was so eager to spend time with him. Perhaps he was looking too much into it. “I think I just need a little time to myself. I think being outside of the lab and looking at things from a different perspective might be useful to me. I’m not sure that you could understand any of it, anyway.” 

There was a moment of hesitation, and Ienzo sucked in a breath and mentally kicked himself. Why was he insulting the guy he liked? Was he just that self-destructive? Or maybe he really was just a self-centered asshole who thought he was the most intelligent person in the room at all times. 

He opened his mouth to apologize, but Demyx’s laughter cut him off. The mere sound of it warmed every bit of his aching heart. “Yeah, you’re probably right! I’ll leave you alone for a little while. I’ll go see what everyone else is up to.” He grinned, elbowing Ienzo in the side as he passed by him, headed toward the door. “You seem really stressed out about a lot of things. Maybe you should just...let it go.” 

Ienzo rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t stop the smile from creeping onto his lips. “I’ll see you in a bit,” he said. 

“See ya later, snuggle buddy.” Demyx winked at him, and before Ienzo’s mind could even catch up to what had just happened, he was out the door, leaving him completely alone with his jumbled, panicked thoughts. 

He could hide all he wanted, but the simple fact remained: he and Demyx were sharing a bed tonight. And if Demyx did anything that was even slightly in character for him, then he would be able to see -- and feel -- the exact level of attraction that Ienzo had toward him. He could not share this bed with him. Because when it got late into the night and the cold was just too much to bear, there was no telling what he would do, what he would say. There was no hiding it any longer. 

Swallowing against the lump in his throat, he quickly ripped open his traveling bag and pulled out every labeled journal that he thought would come in handy, then set them aside and began undressing to change into his pajamas. It shouldn’t have been a difficult task, but every few seconds, he would pause, covering himself up to glance behind him at the door just to assure himself that he was alone, then continue on, pulling his clothes on as quickly as possible to avoid an awkward encounter. 

He imagined what it would be like having Demyx open the door and walk in while he was naked. A very real and very likely scenario would probably just result in some sort of screaming, followed by awkward silence and then shouted apologies as he walked out again, but Ienzo liked to think that maybe, just maybe, in his wildest fantasies, that Demyx would be awestruck. He would stand there and stare at him, breathless and under the trance of mutual attraction as his gaze traveled all the way over Ienzo’s body. And then he would say something he thought to be rather witty that Ienzo would be unironically charmed by, and then there would be no stopping them. Demyx would kiss him, hard and passionate, and before they even realized what was going on, they’d be on the bed, and Demyx’s clothes would be off as well. 

He closed his eyes, trying to imagine the way Demyx’s mouth would feel against his, how he would taste as their tongues crashed into one another in some sort of frantic, desperate waltz that could not even halfway make up for all of the lost time they’d spent yearning for one another. He imagined Demyx’s fingers skirting over his bare flesh, his touch light as a feather but warm nonetheless, lighting little fires wherever they went. His fingers were tangled in Demyx’s hair, pulling his face closer as he peppered Ienzo’s body with swift little kisses that made him want to melt, and his legs were wrapped around him as their bodies slid effortlessly together, like they had been made for each other all along. All he could concentrate on was Demyx and the musky, heady smell of sex that lingered in the air and the sound of skin on skin mingling with his own moans as he cried out his lover’s name: _Demyx, Demyx…_

“Demyx,” he whispered, and he could feel the thick, guttural groan trying to break free from him as he opened his eyes to the bright lights of the room in the inn. Where he was alone. And somewhere in the midst of his own sexually charged daydreams, he’d collapsed onto the bed and started touching himself, to no avail. Whatever feeling he’d had just a few seconds before was gone now as he was sharply brought back to his harsh reality. 

He bit down on his bottom lip, bringing forth just enough pain to drag him down from his dizzying high, then slowly began running numbers and equations through his mind. Things that made sense to him. It was hard, after living his most critical growing years without a heart, to understand his messy, complicated feelings. Especially when it came to human attraction. 

What he did know right now, though, was that he was absolutely horrified at himself, and he could not allow this to go on. He would have to get out of this room, no matter what. Sharing a bed, especially after that, was completely out of the question. 

His first order of business was to confront their front desk clerk. After requesting a fresh cup of tea from the kitchens and setting his journals down in a cozy little nook in the den, he made his way to the desk, where Henrik was joyously completing a crossword puzzle. He looked up, startled, when Ienzo cleared his throat and slammed a hand down on the counter. Not to be intimidating, but really just to let him know that he meant business. These were his _feelings_ that were being toyed with, after all, and if something didn’t change, this weekend was going to be his undoing. 

“Can I help you?” Henrik asked, his eyes flashing nervously underneath bushy eyebrows. 

“Yes, you can, actually.” Ienzo cleared his throat again. It was unbelievably hard to get his voice to work correctly right now. “Have you got another room available? Preferably one with two beds. Or, if you have another available with just one bed, then I could take it and stay alone.” 

Henrik frowned, twirling his mustache in between his fingers. HIs eyebrows bunched downward with concern. “Lovers’ spat?” 

“We are not --” Ienzo clenched his fist, took a breath, then smiled sweetly at him. It was best to be courteous in these situations. Even if the man was wildly delusional. “My colleague and I would just rather have beds to ourselves, you see. We don’t know each other very well, and I’m very particular about my space. So if you could please help me out, that would be nice.” 

Henrik stared at him as if he had just shattered some belief of his with fact and logic, then shook his head. “Sorry, sir. I wish I could help you, but we’re all booked up all weekend. There are no rooms available at all. You all got the last ones. Perhaps one of your coworkers would be willing to switch rooms with you?” 

Ienzo exhaled, raking a hand through his messy hair, then offered the man as kind of a smile as he could muster. “That’s an idea. Thank you very much, Henrik. Your cabin is lovely.” 

The man smiled, returning to his crossword, and Ienzo made his way back down the hall to where his friends were staying. Surely there was someone who would understand his turmoil. Maybe someone would even switch roommates with him, though he didn’t know how he would explain that to Demyx without hurting his feelings. 

In fact, nothing about this situation was easy. Demyx was completely unbothered by the circumstances. Ienzo’s harsh reaction was only going to hurt him. 

If only he knew that these extra efforts to get away from him were out of love and not hate. 

He knocked on Tifa and Aerith's door first, and he was met with lots of giggling as the two of them shared looks and some sort of secret between them that Ienzo wasn't allowed to be a part of. They only had one bed too, it seemed, and neither seemed too worried about having to share. 

Aeleus and Dilan also only had one bed, and Aeleus was sorry that they couldn't help in any way, while Dilan informed him that they'd had little to no privacy in the Organization for over a decade, so this shouldn't be any different. 

He did not inform them that this was very, very different because he was sharing with someone who did not feel the same way about him. He was only going to humiliate himself and ruin what small pieces of a relationship he and Demyx had been working on. 

He asked Even to switch and stay in his room and let Ansem stay with Demyx, but Even told him he was being a little bit ridiculous and immature, and shouldn't he be acting like an adult now? 

Ienzo had been called a lot of things, but immature wasn't one of them. Especially by Even. He wished he knew how to convey his feelings properly so that people could understand. But each time he tried, nothing but word vomit came out, which was immensely humiliating because Ienzo had always been rather eloquent. He hated Demyx for ruining him. 

When he knocked on Cloud and Leon's door, he first asked if maybe they wanted to switch roommates, which didn't immediately turn them away. But then again, neither of them really wanted to stay with Demyx either. He was a bit much for people who didn't know how to put up with him. When Ienzo suggested just switching rooms then, Cloud shut the door in his face.

So that was that. 

Perhaps he would be okay just sleeping on the bearskin rug all weekend. It would be in front of the fire, after all, which would be cozy. 

But not as cozy as sleeping next to Demyx. 

He sighed, returning to his journals in the den. Sometimes he wondered if having a heart was such a good thing after all. Maybe if he could sort out his emotions and stop being such an utter mess all the time, then it would be worth it. But as of right now, he wished that he had the non-emotion of a Nobody so that he could look at Demyx and not feel a single thing. It would certainly make things easier. 

With his tea in hand, he dove into his notes, examining complicated equations that he had scrawled in such a hurry it was a miracle he could still read them. They were still on the mystery of Sora's whereabouts, but with recent developments, it seemed that there were even more pressing matters at stake. As Ansem had put it, there were fictional or fantasy worlds tucked away on the other side of them, if Kairi's memories were to be trusted. None of them quite knew what that meant, if it was dangerous to Sora, if it was dangerous to any of them. They weren't even sure how to reach them. Fairy Godmother had ideas, but using magic and spells didn't explain the science of it all. 

If there was any science or logic to it to begin with. 

He'd drawn maps, he'd read countless books in the library, he'd studied until he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. Nothing in Radiant Garden helped him to understand these new developments, and no matter how long he sat here and stared at all the notes he'd painstakingly taken over the course of several months, he didn't think he was going to get any closer to finding out the truth. 

He stayed up late. At some point, Henrik left, and he was replaced by a smaller, thinner, younger man in a neat, fur-trimmed suit. A few of his colleagues passed in and out of the lobby, getting food or drinks or just chatting and looking around. No sign of Demyx, though. 

He stayed up well past the time that other guests began filtering in from the mountain, returning from the festival in Arendelle. Most of them were drunk and stumbling over one another, laughing raucously in the otherwise quiet inn. None of them paid any attention to the scientist curled by the fire, hunched over his notebooks and working on his fourth cup of tea. 

"Cold out there, isn't it?" the front desk clerk asked one of the guests. 

"Getting colder by the second," the red-faced, drunk man said with a chuckle. He wasn't wearing warm clothes, so maybe the alcohol was enough to ward off the chill in the air. 

Perhaps, Ienzo thought, he should try drinking. The tea and fire certainly weren't working for him. But getting drunk probably wouldn't be the best option for now. Not with Demyx staying in bed with him. He'd gotten drunk several times at Organization parties, and it was hard for him to think straight or keep his mouth shut. 

A sober mind would be best. 

By the time the fire died out to nothing but a mere sputter, he closed his notebooks and rubbed at his eyes. The clock on the wall informed him that it was almost three in the morning. The entire inn was quiet except for a few people who were still in party mode from the festival. Even the clerk seemed to be nodding off at his post. 

And it was cold. _Gods_ , it was cold. Ienzo huddled into the fluffy coat that he'd thrown on over his pajamas and stared out the window at the snow blowing past. Whatever snowstorm was coming this weekend was getting worse, it seemed. The wind howled angrily against the windows and hissed through cracks in the building. Cold seemed to be creeping in every second, piercing through all of Ienzo's clothes and chilling him straight to the bone. 

Getting under a warm blanket sounded like a good idea. But that blanket was in the bed with Demyx. He thought it might be impossible not to snuggle closer to Demyx's warmth on a night like this. 

But what other choice did he have? 

Quietly, he tucked his notebooks under his arm and tiptoed past the clerk, who had his head down and was lightly snoring. As he made his way down the hallway, he thought he could hear muffled noises coming from Tifa and Aerith's room, but besides that, it was deathly silent. He wondered if anyone else had been up studying and making notes or if they had decided to turn in. Was Demyx even in their room, or was he spending time with someone else? He hadn't seen or heard from him in hours. 

He took out his key and was surprised to find that the door was already unlocked, and for some reason, that set him on edge. They'd never had much privacy in the Organization; a locked door had become his best friend in Radiant Garden. It gave him room to do and think and say whatever he wanted, with no outside influence allowed. 

As he pushed the door open, though, he saw that the room was in perfect order, nothing scattered or amiss. A lantern had been left on, but the flame was dwindling rapidly, casting shadows across the room that looked like monsters. There were clothes on the floor where Demyx had thrown them out of his nearly empty bag, and the sitar sat propped against the wall, looking unused and lonely. 

And Demyx was asleep on the bed. 

Perhaps it was Ienzo's own twisted tastes, but he didn't think he'd ever seen a more beautiful sight in his life. He slept on his back, one arm slung above his head and the other across his chest, and his legs were sprawled out at strange angles, taking up most of the space. His hair was a mess, fluttering over his eyes in little wisps, and his bare feet hung out from underneath the blanket. 

Ienzo almost had to sigh in contentment, because for just one moment, he felt like he could be at peace. 

Then, like a keyblade to the chest, it dawned on him that he had to _sleep_ next to _that_ tonight, which meant he was surely going to die of humiliation if he opened his mouth or got too close. 

He closed the door, and it snapped shut with a loud thud, stirring Demyx from his slumber. He made a soft smacking noise with his lips as his eyes fluttered open, his half-awake gaze meeting Ienzo's in a haze. 

"I...left the light on for you," he said, his words slightly slurred as he struggled to wake himself. 

Ienzo smiled, shrugging on his coat and putting his notebooks away. "Thanks, Dem." 

_Dem? When had he ever called him Dem?_ He was a wreck. 

"What time is it?" 

"It's Demyx time," Ienzo replied, hoping he was awake enough to get the joke he'd made. 

He only blinked in response, so Ienzo corrected himself. "Three or so. We have a few hours before we have to get up." 

"You were up late." 

"Yeah." Ienzo hesitated in front of the lantern. The flame inside gave off the slightest bit of heat, but once he blew it out, there would be nothing. No heat, no light. Just he and Demyx lying together in bed, trying to stay warm. His heartbeat accelerated at the thought. He could try to delay the inevitable even longer, or he could just take a trembling step forward and plunge into the unknown. It wasn't as if anything was going to happen. They were just going to sleep. Share a bed. That's it. 

As he leaned forward to blow out the flame, he caught a glimpse of Demyx, flopped over onto his side and watching him with uncharacteristically sad eyes. He was bathed in the orange glow of the lantern and the silver of the moonlight coming in from the window. Then, as the flame went out and Ienzo started to crawl into bed, Demyx asked, "No luck finding another roommate?" 

Ienzo froze in place, holding the blankets so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and then slowly, agonizingly slowly, he crawled underneath them. He wished that they would just swallow him whole and put him out of his misery as soon as possible. 

"Demyx, it's not…" He swallowed the hard lump in his throat, shivering against the cool wind creeping in from outside. "That's not what...I can't explain…" 

"I get it. No one ever wanted to go on missions with me either, you know. They said they always ended up doing all the work. I _told_ everyone I was there for entertainment purposes only." 

Ienzo pursed his lips together and slunk down further into the bed, covering his burning face with the blankets and hoping that this was all somehow just a dream. Because he didn't know that Demyx felt like that. He didn't know his actions would wound him so badly. But trying to explain what was going on was just impossible. 

"We never went on a mission together," he said, hoping that the subject change would draw him away from the current problem. 

"I know. You were always in the lab. When you weren't, you were with Even or Aeleus. We could have had fun on missions together, I think. We wouldn't have gotten anything done." 

Ienzo sighed. It was cold. His breath was coming out in a pale fog, and his legs felt like they'd been dunked in ice. But that wasn't nearly as bad as the feeling of his heart breaking over Demyx. Maybe it would be easier to tell him the truth. Then his feelings would be spared, and Ienzo would be the one with a broken heart. He'd already decided it was better for him to be the one hurt, anyway. 

"I'm sorry, Demyx," he said. "I actually like spending time with you. I _really_ like spending time with you, actually. I would have been fine if it wasn't the sharing a bed thing, you know. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

Demyx scoffed. "My feelings aren't hurt! I know how I am. I'm difficult and annoying, and that's fine! I'm not gonna change." 

Ienzo let out a breath, finally pulling the blankets away from his face. The blast of cold air was unfriendly, but when he looked over and saw Demyx watching him, he thought maybe it wasn't so bad. "You're not difficult, and you're not annoying. I'm just having trouble...adjusting to things. Sometimes. Things like...having a heart. And emotions." He bit down on his lip until there was a shock of pain. Maybe that was a bit too much to say. He shivered again, tugging the blankets closer around his body. It didn't seem like anything was going to ward off the chill from this damned place. 

"Still cold?" Demyx asked. His hand brushed against Ienzo's arm, and Ienzo jumped by reflex, nearly smacking him in the face. Demyx didn't seem to mind, though. He grinned, looking almost like the Cheshire cat under the pale glow of the moon, and rolled closer. "My feet are freezing!" 

And he had the _audacity_ to press his ice-cold feet to Ienzo's already freezing legs, which made him yelp so loudly he was sure someone would think they were killing an animal in here. 

"Get your _fucking_ feet off of me!" Ienzo exclaimed, smacking him with a pillow as he rolled onto his back in a fit of laughter. There were feathers flying everywhere. But they were both laughing, and things felt easier now. Like maybe he could get through the night. 

"Stop it! Stop! I surrender!" Demyx shouted, holding his hands up to stop the next blow. Ienzo halted, his breath coming in ragged gasps from the cold and exertion, and his heart nearly melted at the sight of Demyx's lopsided smile. He liked knowing that he had contributed to his happiness, especially after hurting him so badly earlier. 

With a sigh, he fell backward onto his deflated pillow and stared up at the ceiling. The cold was almost painful. How was he ever supposed to sleep tonight? 

“I’m never coming here again,” he said, watching the wisps of his foggy breath dance through the dark air. “I’m never going to any world that drops below freezing on a regular basis.”

Demyx chuckled. He was close, Ienzo realized without even looking over at him. He could feel Demyx’s warm breath tickle against his neck, raising goosebumps along his skin, and he thought maybe Demyx’s hand was hovering just above his head, almost touching his hair. 

What he wouldn’t give to have Demyx’s hands running through his hair. The very thought of it made his spine tingle.

“You know,” Demyx whispered, and Ienzo could swear that he moved closer, “there are plenty of things we could do to keep warm.”

Ienzo felt the chill race into his lungs, freezing his breath as he lay unmoving, too afraid to turn his head and meet Demyx’s gaze; it would betray every single filthy, disgusting thought traveling through his mind right now. Silence hung heavily in the air, almost an entity of its own, and the darkness was permeated by nothing except the rapid beating of Ienzo’s heart. He didn’t mean anything by that, he told himself. It was a joke, nothing more. Just a joke. 

“Yeah,” Ienzo finally said with a laugh, hoping he wasn’t making things more awkward. “Guess I could get up and do some jumping jacks.” 

“Other forms of exercise too.” 

His heart felt like it had dropped down into his stomach. He could feel his pulse _everywhere_ on his body, and there was blood rushing to places he most definitely did not want blood rushing to. But he couldn’t be imagining the sultry tone of Demyx’s voice, could he? And surely Demyx wasn’t so dense that he was just completely missing the implications of his words. 

“Like push-ups and jogging, you know,” Demyx said. “A little more cardio.” 

“O-Oh,” Ienzo said, exhaling in...well, relief wasn’t exactly the right word. It was more like all of his fears were melting away. But the arousal certainly wasn’t. “Y-yeah, I guess that would work too.” He laughed, despite himself, and turned his back to Demyx, pulling the blankets over his scorching face. He wanted to scream, but he buried it deep inside of himself instead. 

“That means you’d have to get out of bed, though,” Demyx said, and Ienzo felt the weight on the bed shift even closer to him, so close that every cell in his body was howling with panic he couldn’t control. “So would you rather me keep you warm instead?”

Ienzo took in a stuttered breath that rattled painfully in his chest. Demyx did _not_ like him; that couldn’t be real. He was just messing around, that’s all. That’s just who Demyx was. He was never serious about anything. He said off-the-wall things to get reactions all the time. This was just another one of those times. This was all just some sort of twisted joke, some lame attempt at humor. Because there was no way Demyx would honestly be interested in him. 

He exhaled slowly and squeezed his eyes shut, knowing that this was a joke of some sort, but he had to look, he had to be sure. He quietly turned over so that he could see Demyx's face. There wasn't an ounce of humor anywhere on his features. In fact, this was probably the most serious he had ever seen him. 

He licked his dry lips and forced himself to breathe, to think, and slowly, he nodded. His mouth wouldn't work, and he couldn't even think of what words needed to be said, but Demyx saw, he understood, and he carefully hauled himself closer to Ienzo and tentatively draped an arm around Ienzo's hip. 

A long, tense moment passed between them. Demyx's skin was warm, even through Ienzo's clothing, but it wasn't warm enough. None of this was enough. He shifted just slightly, allowing his shirt to rise and give way to bare skin that Demyx did not hesitate to touch. His fingers grazed over Ienzo's hip bone, drawing slow circles over the skin, before shifting to his back. Ienzo's heart was full, nearly bursting, with emotions that he couldn't even sort through, and he never took his eyes off Demyx as his arm wrapped fully around him and drew him against his chest. 

Ienzo's muscles tensed at the close contact, but slowly, as Demyx's other arm wrapped around him and drew him closer still, he felt himself relaxing into the touch. It was such a foreign concept to him, being touched in any sort of intimate way, but it felt so natural. Demyx was warm, and he was heating Ienzo's body with electric sparks everywhere that they touched. 

"Better?" Demyx asked, and Ienzo could only nod, still unable to find his voice as he buried his face into Demyx's chest. He smelled clean and fresh, like a perfect spring afternoon. His chin rested on top of Ienzo's head. He was slightly taller than Ienzo, which was hardly noticeable on a daily basis, but at this moment, it made him feel so small. He curled closer to him still, and finally, he managed to make his frozen limbs move. Hesitantly, he draped an arm over Demyx’s side, his hand resting against his back, and he let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. 

Everything was okay. It was all going to be okay. Friends cuddled together, right? It was only to stay warm. Nothing weird was going to happen -- 

“I knew it!” Demyx exclaimed, jumping up so suddenly that he nearly tosse Ienzo off the bed. 

Ienzo grunted, rubbing at the spot on his head where he’d hit the headboard, glaring through messy hair at the stupidly attractive man sitting on the other side of him. He was smiling. Damn it, he was always smiling, and Ienzo couldn’t resist his stupid fucking face. 

“Knew what?” he asked. 

“You may know all about physics and numbers and stuff, but I know a thing or two about humans,” Demyx said, leaning close to him. So close that their noses were nearly touching. His smile grew wider, and he jabbed Ienzo in the chest with his finger. “You, sir, have a big, fat, humiliating crush on me too, and that’s why you were acting so weird.” 

“I don’t --” Ienzo said, feeling as if there was everything and nothing to say all at the same time. And then, it struck him. “What do you mean _too_?” 

“Are you kidding me? You really must have been too caught up in your experiments to notice. I told Even like, a week ago, that we were sharing a room when we got here. I wanted to spend more time with you.” 

Ienzo blinked. The room was so cold, and his usually fast-acting brain was having way too much trouble trying to sort through the information he was being given. He was trying to parse it out like an equation, trying to make sense of it as easily as he could make sense of gravity or inertia, but nothing was coming to him. 

“You were helping me with all my experiments,” he said. 

“Duh! Because I wanted to spend more time with you! Not because I cared about chemistry and biology and all that. No offense.” 

Ienzo wrinkled his nose in disgust. “You spent all that time in the lab finding out answers to how things work in our infinitely complicated universe, and you didn’t care about any of it?” 

“That’s all you care about? When I just confessed that I like you?” Demyx scoffed, shaking his head. “You’re ridiculous.” 

“You’re ridiculous! How could you --” Ienzo took a deep breath in. He felt like he was right on the verge of panic. But a good panic, maybe. He still couldn’t be quite so sure what was happening right now. It felt like some sort of dream he might be having between sleeping and waking. “How long?” 

“How long what?” 

“How long have you liked me?” 

“Oh.” Demyx shrugged, as if they were just discussing something as simple as the raging snowstorm outside. “I don’t really know. Something kind of clicked in our Organization days. And then you died.” 

Ienzo laughed. It seemed wildly inappropriate to do so, but something about Demyx’s casual tone got to him, and he couldn’t stop the laughter from breaking forth from him. He ran a hand over his face, his shoulders shaking with the effort to hold it all in, and when Demyx started laughing too, he sighed, resting his head against the cool metal headboard. 

“I don’t understand the joke,” Demyx admitted sheepishly, running a hand through his messy hair. “I was being kind of serious.” 

“I know. We’ve just had...incredibly tragic lives, haven’t we?” 

Demyx lifted a shoulder. “It’s not been so bad. We got our hearts back, and now I’m getting to stay with you in Radiant Garden.” 

“We were turned into monsters, weren’t we? We did questionable things that no honest, decent person could ever --” 

“Look, we could probably write an entire thesis or whatever on the sins of humankind and the shitshow Organization we were a part of, _or_ you could just go ahead and kiss me, because I’ve kind of been waiting for a really long time.” He shrugged. “Just a suggestion.” 

“Me too.” Ienzo’s words came out as more of a breath, and he looked up to meet Demyx’s gaze, his body trembling against the cold. And the anxiety. Gods, he’d never been this anxious in his life. He felt like all of his nervous system was lit on fire, and it was burning down as easily as a forest. 

Sometime in the Organization? They hadn’t even had hearts! How could Demyx have possibly developed some sort of crush on him then? He knew that the Nobodies got bored and fucked around for fun, but that was different! This had to do with _feelings,_ something he was certain that neither of them had had for years. He opened his mouth, wanting more than ever to ask all of the questions rattling around in his mind, but Demyx’s lips were on him in an instant, and suddenly everything fogged over, and he couldn’t even remember what he’d been wanting to ask to begin with. 

It was soft and tender at first, and a little bit awkward. Ienzo couldn’t quite figure out where his hands were supposed to go, and he wasn’t even sure if he was kissing Demyx back or if he was just sitting there letting it happen. Their noses kept bumping up against one another, and Ienzo couldn’t help but notice every single sensation racing across him -- the feel of Demyx’s hair brushing against his forehead, the way his warm hands cupped his cheeks and his thumbs glided across scorching hot skin. His eyes were open, but he wasn’t even sure if he was seeing anything, and when the fog finally cleared, he slowly let himself relax against the other man’s touch. 

He wrapped his arms around Demyx’s neck, his nails digging into tender skin that elicited a soft moan from Demyx against Ienzo’s mouth that made something inside of his mind completely snap. He moved closer to him, his hands tangling in Demyx’s unbelievably soft hair as his lips met Demyx’s again in a flurry of passion and desperation, of years and years of pent-up longing he hadn’t even completely known was there. He couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t completely understand what it was about Demyx, but something was driving him mind-numbingly crazy, and no amount of studies in the lab over human emotions would ever help him make sense of this feeling. 

Demyx was close. He could feel his bated breath with each feverish kiss, and he thought he could hear the rapid fire of his heartbeat in his chest, but even with their bodies pressed so tightly together, nearly wound into one, it didn’t seem like it was close enough. He pulled at Demyx’s hair, dragged nails across skin, begging him to come closer to him, and he obliged, flipping Ienzo onto his back as he settled with all of his weight on top of him, never breaking from the heated kisses. 

Ienzo, however, felt the panic settle in his chest, and he turned his head away, sucking in deep, trembling breaths as Demyx continued kissing him along his jawline and his throat, all the way to his collarbone. He was hard, so incredibly hard, and he could feel Demyx’s arousal pressing up against him as well. They were going fast. Really, really, really fast, and he wasn’t sure if they’d be able to stop. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to. 

“What’s wrong?” Demyx asked in between quick, chaste kisses across cool skin. His gaze flickered up to Ienzo’s face, hesitating for a moment, and Ienzo could feel the smile on his lips as he sucked at the soft flesh at the base of his throat. “Are you still cold?” 

“No. I mean...a little, not really. But I’ve just…” He squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to look Demyx in the face as he let out a breath and said, his voice barely above a whisper, “I’ve just never done this before.” 

“Oh? You’ve never --” 

“No. But also, I’ve never kissed anyone either.” 

Demyx crawled off of him immediately, and he covered his face with his hands, forcing himself to take deep breaths to calm his heart, which was practically about to beat right out of his chest. He knew he would be the one to ruin everything. He’d just hoped that it would come out later. But no, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut, and he couldn’t ward off the panic now seizing him like the claws of a massive monster. 

“Oh.” 

Wonderful. He’d broken Demyx, the guy who could never manage to shut up. And now all he could say was _Oh_. 

Ienzo chewed on his bottom lip, staring up at the ceiling through his fingers, and let another breath out through his nose. “Yeah.” 

“No one in the Organization?” 

“No.” 

“No one in your classes before --?” 

“Even homeschooled me.” 

They were silent for a long moment. Too long. Ienzo had to turn his head to make sure that Demyx hadn’t somehow run away without his knowledge. He was still there, though Ienzo was sure that he had purposely settled himself just out of his reach on the other side of the bed. 

“We had so many parties in the castle,” Demyx said. “And you never --?” 

“In case you didn’t notice, my formative years were spent without a heart in a lab doing an evil man’s bidding, so forgive me if I never found the time or the interest in romance.” 

“I --” Demyx shook his head, and Ienzo immediately felt a pang of regret at his words. Demyx wasn’t that much older than him -- maybe a couple of years, at the most. He had lost much of his youth too, joining the Organization just shortly after Isa and Lea, and he’d still somehow managed to pretend like nothing had changed. 

It was Ienzo’s own rotten pessimism that had brought him this fate. He’d buried himself in knowledge and science, pretending that other people didn’t exist and trying to act as if he had no interest in human emotion. Everything had come crashing down on him all at once when he’d returned to Radiant Garden, every bit of teenage angst bullshit and every horny thought that he’d missed out on being a Nobody. And it had _sucked_. Still, he’d forced himself into a corner, always wanting, but never giving in and letting himself have the simple pleasures in life his fellow Organization members had taken part in. 

Not until now. Not until he knew for sure that Demyx was as interested in him as he was in him. Gods, it made him almost angry to think that they could have been at this point _years_ ago, and it wouldn’t be so humiliating now. But did he really want to be like all of those heartless morons, fucking around and not feeling a single damn thing for one another? 

Not with Demyx. He wanted to feel everything with Demyx. 

“I’m sorry I made things uncomfortable,” Ienzo said. “I was just never interested in anyone back then, and I’ve been so busy lately --” 

“It’s fine. I just...don’t want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, you know?” 

“I appreciate it. I’m not really uncomfortable so much as I am...nervous?” Ienzo laughed a little, running a hand through his tangled hair. It was glued to his forehead with cold sweat, and now, without Demyx’s body close to him, he was starting to feel the effects of the snow again. “I just thought you should know that I’m just really, really inexperienced with all this.”   
Demyx shrugged, smirking. “I couldn’t tell.” 

“Good to know.” 

Another long, tense silence swelled between them. Ienzo fidgeted with the blankets, hoping that he hadn’t just completely killed the mood. Despite his nerves, he knew what he wanted. He wanted Demyx. So badly that it almost hurt. He wanted to kiss him until his lips were swollen and until he knew every inch of his mouth by heart, and he wanted to feel him move inside of him, to feel their bodies slide against one another in a fit of passion. He wanted to hear Demyx say his name in a haze of pleasure. It wouldn’t kill him to wait -- he’d done plenty of waiting -- but now was as good a time as ever. 

“So...is it okay if I kiss you again, then?” Demyx asked shyly. 

“Of course you can kiss me again!” Ienzo exclaimed, slapping him on the shoulder. “Don’t treat me like I’m fragile all of a sudden. You can do a whole lot more than kiss me. We have to do something to stay warm, don’t we?” 

Demyx grinned, and he closed the gap between them again, taking Ienzo’s face into his hands as he kissed him again, being far gentler than Ienzo had hoped for. It didn’t matter what he asked for; it seemed like Demyx was going to be far too careful with him now. He wouldn’t complain though, because he was finally able to kiss the man that had plagued every single thought that had crossed Ienzo’s mind from the moment he woke up to the moment he went to sleep for the past several months. He never thought that anything would be capable of gripping him that way, least of all Demyx. 

How had Demyx managed to develop a crush on him all those years ago, while he was doing everything he could to ignore him? He was the Organization’s nuisance, after all, but now, Ienzo couldn’t imagine why he’d never given him a chance before now. He couldn’t even imagine a time when he _hadn’t_ been head over heels in love with Demyx. It seemed impossible. 

“Is this okay?” Demyx asked, slowly and carefully swinging his leg over to settle on top of Ienzo again. 

Ienzo rolled his eyes, grabbing his shirt and jerking him forward. Their noses touched, and Demyx’s beautiful, blue eyes settled on him with a flash of worry. “Yes,” he whispered, pressing a quick kiss to Demyx’s lips. “Everything is okay. I promise. I’ll stop you if things get out of hand, okay? But honestly, I’m kind of hoping that things get out of hand. And fast. If you know what I mean.” 

Demyx’s gaze traveled south, and the corner of his mouth quirked up into a smile that Ienzo couldn’t help but press a kiss to. 

“What?” Demyx asked, and Ienzo hoped that he was playing dumb like he always did. He rolled his eyes, dragging Demyx’s face down to his again in a wet, sloppy kiss that he reveled in. 

“You’re so fucking cute,” Ienzo said between kisses, and he felt Demyx’s body shudder with something that he hoped was arousal. The room certainly wasn’t cold anymore. 

Demyx kissed him. He kissed him over and over and over and over again, his tongue always pressing at Ienzo’s lips, forcing them to part, gliding over them with such painful tenderness that it made Ienzo ache for more of his taste. It was like he was relishing in Ienzo’s longing, delighting in it like it was some sort of simple game, poking and prodding at his mouth and licking at every crevice he could reach as Ienzo held him tightly and dragged himself upward to meet Demyx’s groin. He was desperate for friction, and Demyx was taking things slow. Too slow. 

“Demyx,” he groaned, as Demyx’s tongue pressed against his once again, lapping at the roof of his mouth. He could feel Demyx moving against him just slightly, but it wasn’t enough. He was trying too hard to be careful, and there was nothing to be careful about. Frustrated, he bucked his hips upward to meet Demyx’s, and he felt the moan against his skin as Demyx buried his face against his neck, breathing hard. 

This was perfect. He had him right where he wanted him. He could take things into his own hands. His own awkward, inexperienced hands. 

Quickly, he wrapped his hands around Demyx’s waist and flipped him over onto his back on the other side of the bed, and before Demyx could even utter one word like, “Ienzo, what are you doing? Are you sure this is okay?,” he settled on top of him, straddling his hips and taking full control of the situation. 

“Ienzo --” Demyx said, but Ienzo quieted him with another feverish kiss that nearly knocked the breath out of him. He pulled away, carefully removing his shirt and discarding it on the floor as Demyx stared at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open like he’d just seen a ghost. Ienzo looked down at himself, suddenly feeling self-conscious in ways he didn’t think he could feel. He’d gained a little bit of weight being back in Radiant Garden, not training and fighting all the time, but that hadn’t bothered him until now, now that someone was seeing him. Someone he was hopelessly in love with. 

“What?” he asked, carefully folding his arms over himself to try to hide, but Demyx shook his head, pulling his hands away and kissing his knuckles gently. 

“You’re just the prettiest person that’s ever existed, that’s all,” Demyx said. “Remind me why you like me?” 

“Shut up,” Ienzo said, kissing him again, and his heart fluttered at the compliment like birds taking flight. “And take off your clothes. I think I’ve been deprived long enough.”   
Demyx laughed, but he obeyed, which was a rather difficult task because, despite wanting to explore every inch of Demyx’s body, Ienzo couldn’t pull himself away long enough to let him get undressed. It was a miracle that he finally managed to get his pants off, and when he was lying there underneath Ienzo with nothing but his underwear covering him, Ienzo thought he was going to have a heart attack. His body suddenly felt cold and numb, and his throat was dry. He was going to mess this up somehow, he just knew it. 

He didn’t know what to do. And, oh gods, Demyx had slept with other people before. People he knew. He started picturing their faces in his mind, and he suddenly wanted to ask, wanted to know. Axel? Marluxia? Gods, _Larxene_? Maybe someone older, someone much more experienced than him? His vision grew blurry, and he felt like he was right on the verge of a panic attack, wondering if, while they were fucking, Demyx would be comparing him to someone else. What if he wasn’t _good_? What if Demyx suddenly didn’t like him anymore? 

“What’s wrong?” Demyx asked, tugging at the waistband of Ienzo’s pajamas. His tone was playful enough, but when Ienzo suddenly looked back down at him, the panic must have been evident on his features, because he stopped. “What did I do?” 

“Nothing, I’m just…” He sighed, pushing his hair out of his eyes. 

“We don’t have to do this, you know. We have plenty of time. I’m just glad I figured out you liked me. I thought I was going to die if I went any longer not knowing.” 

“Do you like me more than you liked Axel? Or anyone else you’ve kissed or...been with?” 

Demyx snorted, and Ienzo’s face immediately heated with embarrassment. He was a fucking adult, and he was asking stupid, childish questions. How stupid could he be? Maybe he was the fool of the Organization. They should have been making jokes about him the whole time. 

“You think I liked any of them? We were just killing time.” Demyx threw his head back with a sigh. “Shit, if I could have, I would have had you a long time ago.” 

“That’s...how are you so good at making me feel good?” 

Demyx shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just telling you the truth, though.” 

_Fuck_. He was so attractive. There were no more doubts, no more discussions to be had. “Slow” was no longer a word in his vocabulary. He had to have him now. If he had to wait any longer, then _he_ was going to die. 

He descended on Demyx again, capturing his lips with his own as tugged at his underwear. They were moving more naturally against one another now, less accidental bumping and biting. Demyx had marks across his skin where Ienzo had sucked and nibbled at him until he bruised, marks that, if anyone saw, would let them know exactly what had been going on in this room tonight. 

"Ienzo…" Demyx whined, as Ienzo kissed down his chest and stomach, slowly, tantalizingly, wanting Demyx to feel the exact same level of torture he felt right now. His tongue dipped into Demyx's navel, and he bit down gently on smooth skin as his fingers glided underneath the waistband of Demyx's underwear and tugged them down to his thighs. He heard the sharp intake of breath, and he tried to steady his own breathing as he looked down at Demyx's hard dick twitching needily below him. 

He was glad it was dark. He didn't need Demyx to see the way his skin flushed at the sight of him. He sat there, hands resting on Demyx's stomach, as his chest heaved and his heart pounded, and he wondered how that was supposed to fit inside of him. It was larger than he had expected it to be, though not frightfully so. The head pressed against his thigh, quivering with anticipation and leaking precum against his pants. He shuddered, not sure what he was supposed to do, but he found his hand reaching out anyway, touching the tip with his thumb and slowly smearing precum along the length of it. He heard each shaky breath from Demyx, felt his legs trembling underneath him, but refused to meet his eyes. 

He'd never touched anyone like this before. Only himself. He knew what _he_ liked, of course, but what if Demyx didn't? Right now, though, he wanted to explore him. He was fascinated in ways he never thought he could be, studying Demyx as if he held all of the answers to their wide universe. He ran his finger over the thick vein on the side of his dick, then brushed through the fine blonde hairs that curled around it. Soft, trimmed. He wanted to press his face against it but was too nervous. 

"Ienzo?" Demyx asked. His voice was shaking, but he still managed to smile. "Are you okay?" 

Ienzo nodded, cupping his balls in his hand and rolling them around gently. Demyx's legs tensed underneath him. He could tell that he was getting a little bit antsy, and Ienzo could understand the feeling all too well. He already felt like he was about to burst. 

"Are you sure --?" 

"Yes. A thousand times, yes. Are you?" 

Demyx's mouth curled into a half-smile. "Are you kidding me? I've thought about this for years." 

Ienzo laughed, pressing a kiss to the inside of Demyx's thigh. "Tell me what to do." 

"You tell me what you're comfortable doing." 

Ienzo wrapped his hand around the head of Demyx's dick, gentle as he smeared more precum down the length and stroked him hesitantly, awkwardly. At the sound of Demyx's choked whimper, he moved more confidently, speeding up and slowing down in intervals to make sure he gave him the utmost pleasure. He wasn't sure where he was supposed to look, if he could even bring up enough courage to look in Demyx's eyes, so he looked down, watching his hand move almost expertly along Demyx's length as he rubbed slow circles against his thigh. The moans and whines were like music to his ears, and he could feel his own hardened dick pressing hard against his pants, begging to be released, to take part in all this pleasure. He fought the urge, instead focusing on Demyx, and he leaned down to press a kiss right where a thin line of blonde hair traced a path up his stomach. 

Now that he was here, now that he was actually doing something, he didn't feel so nervous, and he nuzzled his cheek against the soft pubic hairs. He closed his eyes, breathing a sigh of relief and contentment as Demyx's fingers curled into his hair, playfully tugging at strands and rubbing tender circles against his head. 

"Anything," he murmured. "I'll do anything and everything." 

He lowered himself down and took the head of Demyx's dick into his mouth, slowly and deliberately dragging his tongue along the underside of it. Demyx wriggled and groaned, and his hips bucked upward needily to slam against Ienzo's jaw. He gagged as he felt the head hit the back of his throat, and he drew a long breath in and looked up at Demyx, who was watching him with such adoration and awe that his chest ached. He loved him. He could not comprehend now why he wouldn't allow himself these simple pleasures before. 

"Come here," Demyx said, his voice low and hoarse as he held his arms out for Ienzo to fall into. Ienzo felt weak, lightheaded, but he obeyed, collapsing on top of him in a fit of nervous giggles as he kissed his beautiful, soft lips. It took all of his willpower not to devour him. It was as if some animal had awoken inside of him, and it could not be tamed. 

"What is it? Was that not good enough?" Ienzo asked. 

"No, you're perfect!" Demyx exclaimed, grabbing Ienzo's face and drawing him into yet another kiss. "Everything is perfect. I just want to make sure…" He reached beside him and dug around in his bag for a moment before pulling out a tube of lubricant. His eyes looked shiny, even in the dark, and Ienzo wondered if maybe he was crying. 

"You came prepared," Ienzo commented. "That seems unlike you." 

"I'm always prepared when it's something that matters." 

"Did you think you and I were going to sleep together this weekend?" 

Demyx shrugged, opening the lid of the lubricant and spreading some onto his fingers. "I knew we were going to sleep together. I didn't know if we were going to _sleep together_. I was hopeful, though. I'm always hopeful."   
Ienzo watched him with fascination for a moment as he rubbed his fingers together, warming the lube to a comfortable temperature that wouldn’t be too cold for him. Demyx was going to touch him. Just the thought of it made him feel like he was going a little insane, and it was only seconds away. He thought, being a musician and all, that Demyx would have very skilled fingers, far better than anything Ienzo could do to himself. He closed his eyes and took in shallow breaths to steady his racing heartbeat, but it wasn’t helping. He couldn’t wait any longer. 

He slammed his lips, still wet with saliva and precum, into Demyx’s, forcing his tongue into his mouth as he ground down on him, desperate to create some sort of friction between the two of them. The feeling was almost too much, and he threw his head back with a much-too-loud moan as Demyx began to strip the rest of his clothing off. 

He was sweating. He hadn’t realized how bad it was until Demyx was taking his underwear off, but he was burning with fire inside and out. It was as if they were staying in some sunny villa on an island rather than a cabin in the middle of a raging snowstorm. Demyx grinned up at him as he peeled away the remaining layers of clothing, discarding them on top of his on the ground. He was so beautiful in every sense of the word. If only it wasn’t so dark…

“Wait,” Ienzo said, rolling off of him as he groped around for the lantern on the nightstand. He heard Demyx’s pathetic whimper, felt his hands skirting across bare skin to try to drag him back, but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity. “I want to see you.” 

“Oh.” Demyx chuckled as Ienzo lit the lantern, and bright orange light filled the room with a warm, delightful glow. 

It was even better than Ienzo could have imagined. Demyx’s face was flushed, his hair matted to his forehead with sweat and sticking up at odd angles. His lips were swollen, and there were bruises across his skin where Ienzo had perhaps gotten a little too excited with kissing him. His pupils were blown wide, and the sheer bliss across his features was almost enough to make Ienzo come right then. 

_He_ had done that. It was almost too good to be true. 

“Come back,” Demyx whined, poking his lower lip out as he wrapped his hands around Ienzo’s wrists and hauled him back on top of him. His fingers were still slick with lube, and as Ienzo positioned his now completely bare body back on top of Demyx, he felt his stomach knot with nerves again. 

He could see Demyx now, but Demyx could see him too. Every inch of him. Every little piece of him that he had never shown anyone. He felt his heartbeat accelerate once again, and he thought about trying to shield himself from Demyx’s wandering eyes, but the glimmer of adoration in his expression made him think twice about it. 

Demyx _enjoyed_ looking at him. It didn’t seem possible.   
“How’d you get to be so cute?” Demyx asked, running his fingers along Ienzo’s thighs, over his hardened dick, across his slightly pudgy tummy. 

“Genetics, I guess,” Ienzo replied, and Demyx laughed like it was the best joke he’d ever heard. Ienzo closed his eyes, reveling in the sound, as he pressed his forehead against Demyx’s and breathed in his scent once again. He was completely and totally at peace. There was no reason to be afraid. 

“Look at me,” Demyx said, tilting Ienzo’s chin just slightly to get his attention, and he opened his eyes, staring right into the beautiful blue of Demyx’s. He pressed a kiss to his lips, and Demyx smiled with delight, brushing strands of sweaty hair from Ienzo’s face. “Are you warm now?” 

Ienzo exhaled a laugh. “I’m burning up.” 

“This might hurt a little bit. Just tell me to stop if I need to.” 

Ienzo nodded. It felt like his heart was literally going to explode from him, which he knew was scientifically improbable, but the feeling was still there. All he could hear was the sound of his own harsh breathing and the dull pulsing of blood in his ears as Demyx’s hands slid over the back of his thighs and upward to cup his ass. It seemed to fit perfectly in his grasp. His gentle touch was enough to help Ienzo relax and let out the breath trapped in his lungs. A shiver raced up his spine as Demyx’s fingers inched closer to his opening. He never tore his gaze away from Demyx’s, wanting to see every reaction cross his face with his light touches. 

“Go ahead,” Ienzo said. He could feel Demyx poking and prodding, asking for permission that he had already asked for dozens of times. Demyx nodded, letting out a slow breath, and smiled at him as he slid one slick finger into Ienzo’s tight hole. 

Ienzo bent forward, gasping for air, as shudders raced all across his body. It burned, but in a sort of good way. Demyx chewed on his bottom lip, studying him, then pushed his finger in deeper, all the way to the knuckle. It was a strange sensation, foreign. Demyx’s fingers were so much longer, so much thinner than Ienzo’s, and it felt infinitely better than anything Ienzo could ever do to himself. He let out a loud moan that had been building up for quite some time, and Demyx chuckled, his other hand running smoothly across Ienzo’s right buttock. 

“Is that okay?” Demyx asked. 

“Yes. _Gods_ , yes. Please just keep going.” 

“Eager, aren’t we?” 

Demyx’s movements were smooth, expert, pushing in as deep as he could go and then pulling back out, maximizing Ienzo’s pleasure with each and every curl and flick of his finger. 

“Stay still,” Demys said, his free hand moving to grip Ienzo’s hip to keep him steady. His legs were wrapped so tightly against Demyx’s torso. He hadn’t even realized he was pushing himself backward against Demyx’s wandering, prying finger. All he could do was nod and try to stay still, though it was possibly the hardest task he’d been asked to do in quite some time. Demyx was teasing him, he could tell, by that stupid lopsided grin on his face, and constantly missing that perfect spot that Ienzo was desperately trying to get him to touch. 

“You’re opening up so good,” Demyx commented, his thumb swirling small circles over Ienzo’s hip as he plunged deeper into him. The compliment made his heart stutter and his dick twitch. He wanted to touch himself. Gods, he wanted to jack both him and Demyx off at the same time. He wanted to see his own bodily fluids cover Demyx. But he resisted. He knew Demyx was doing something much better. “Are you ready for more?” 

“Yes,” Ienzo growled, his own voice hoarse from some sort of animalistic, feral feeling inside of him. He leaned forward, grinding himself downward against Demyx’s dick again, as Demyx inserted another finger and began to scissor him open. He cried out in pain and pleasure, burying his face against Demyx’s neck to stop the ridiculously loud moans that were about to break free from him. His lips locked onto Demyx’s skin, kissing and biting as Demyx pushed into him, and he couldn’t stop himself from moving anymore. He dragged himself downward onto Demyx’s fingers, nearly screaming in delight at the beautiful, perfect friction that he had created. His dick twitched in agony, begging for some sort of release, and precum dripped onto Demyx’s stomach. 

He had to touch himself. He had to. 

“No,” Demyx said, pulling his hand away before he could even do anything. “You’ll come too soon.” 

“You’re taking too long,” Ienzo said. His nails dug into Demyx’s skin, and Demyx gasped out a stuttered breath, finally pushing a third finger in. It hurt so beautifully. Ienzo felt dizzy with bliss as he pushed himself down onto Demyx’s fingers, nearly striking exactly where he wanted to, but Demyx was quick, Demyx was teasing, and it wasn’t _fair_ to him. He whimpered and groaned and begged, dragging himself downward in slow, agonizing movements, then slamming down quickly and repeatedly, hoping for some sort of release. 

“P-please,” Ienzo said between fast, heavy breaths, and he didn’t even know there were tears welling up in his eyes until Demyx reached up and wiped them away. Demyx smiled at him, so comforting, so reassuring, and cupped his cheek in one of his hands, drawing him close for another quick, chaste kiss. Then, just as quickly, his arms were around Ienzo’s waist, and he flipped him over onto his back and was now on top of him. 

“Needy, needy,” Demyx said, shaking his head. He took both of Ienzo’s tiny wrists in one hand and pressed them into the pillow above his head. He was stronger than Ienzo thought he was, and he was unable to move, but that just thrilled him even more. His eyes scanned over the curve of muscles in Demyx’s arms, the toned, flat surface of his tummy, and he relaxed, letting his eyes flutter half-shut as Demyx placed quick kisses all the way down his throat and his chest. “Tell me what you want me to do.” 

“I want you to stop making me wait,” Ienzo hissed. “You’re completely unbearable.” 

“And?” 

Ienzo looked up at him. His pupils were so wide that the black nearly swallowed the perfect blue of his irises. He looked almost maniacal, almost...evil. A shiver went down Ienzo’s spine, and he swallowed against the lump in his throat. “I want you to fuck me.” 

“Really? I never would have guessed.” Demyx smirked, and Ienzo felt the strong urge to smack that stupid look right off of his face, but it was so cute, so endearing, so utterly _maddening_ that he let it slide. “Can you scientifically explain the complex set of emotions that you’re feeling right this second?” 

“Humans crave some sort of intimacy,” Ienzo said, “whether it comes in the form of platonic, romantic, or sexual desire, and it just so happens that I have years and years of sexual repression to make up for, so perhaps you should stop teasing me and just --” 

Demyx pushed into him, and his back arched up off the bed as let out a long, low, satisfied moan. 

“No one told you that you couldn’t sleep around with your friends,” Demyx said. “That was a choice you made all on your own, babe.” 

Ienzo felt like a hard knot was starting to unravel in his stomach. He was so close to coming completely undone, and yet, it felt so unattainable. Something about Demyx calling him “babe” made his brain fog over, and he could barely even think, much less form any sort of logical response to that. His body acted of its own accord, his legs coming up to wrap around Demyx’s waist as he pushed into him again and again, each motion sweeter and much delightful than the last. 

“That’s a choice I stand by,” he said, once he was finally able to form coherent thoughts. “Perhaps I wanted a heart before I decided to settle down with someone.” 

“Settle down? We’re getting a little far ahead of ourselves, aren’t we?” Demyx hesitated for a brief moment, and Ienzo felt a pang of regret at his words, a stuttered apology resting right at the tip of his tongue, but before he could speak, Demyx was pounding into him again relentlessly, and he was rendered completely useless, caught up in the brain rot of his own lust. 

“You’re...incredible,” was all he managed to choke out as Demyx’s hips slammed into him repeatedly. All he could hear was the sound of skin on skin, his own moaning and needy whining and heavy breathing. The air was thick with the smell of sweat and sex, and it was fogging Ienzo’s senses, driving him wild in a way he didn’t think was possible. Demyx leaned over him, his face just inches away from Ienzo’s, one hand clutching the headboard and the other pinning Ienzo’s arms above his head. He watched the way Demyx’s muscles contracted, the way his chest rose and fell with each heavy, stuttered breath. It was beautiful, and his body was screaming out with pleasure and pain previously unknown to him as Demyx pushed further and further into him, finally, _finally_ hitting that sweet spot that made his vision darken and his entire body unravel with desire. 

“Demyx, I’m --” 

He couldn’t even finish his sentence. It was like a hot ball of lead had been dropped in his stomach, and it was burning, burning through all of his nerves, through his skin. His hips bucked upward, desperate to meet Demyx, and his vision grew blurry as wave after wave of bliss crashed over him. It lasted for several seconds, but it didn’t seem long enough, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that Demyx was still above him, still riding him, and he was even more beautiful than before. 

“I --” He started to say, but he wasn’t even sure what he was trying to tell him, and he shook his head, staring down at the mess he had made across the bed and across his and Demyx’s bodies. 

“You’re so beautiful,” Demyx said, brushing hair out of Ienzo’s face. He let go of Ienzo’s arms and leaned over him to press a kiss to his forehead. Ienzo wrapped his arms around Demyx’s neck, pulling him closer as Demyx continued to push into him, his thrusts coming faster and harder now as he chased the same high Ienzo had just met. 

“You’re just saying that,” Ienzo responded. It was unbelievable. He was completely spent, sore all over, and they would have to be up in just a few hours for their first ski excursion if the weather permitted, but he didn’t want to go to sleep. He wanted to stay with Demyx like this. In this shared bed. For the rest of the weekend. 

“I’m always completely honest with you, even if I might lie to other people.” 

Ienzo smiled up at him, threading his fingers through sweaty strands of hair at the base of his neck. “What’s your real name, then? Where did you come from?” 

Demyx hesitated, and a slow smirk spread across his lips as he shook his head. “I swear I’ll tell you someday, but it’s not important. I swear you’re seeing me exactly as I am.” 

“I think you play games a lot of the time.” 

“Only for fun. Not to hurt anyone. Do you want me to pull out?” 

“Huh?” 

“Do you want me to come inside of you? Because I’m really, really close, and I need to make sure you’re --” 

“Yes. And look at me when you do it.” 

Demyx swallowed and managed a nod as he continued to thrust, and after a few seconds, when his movements became more stuttered and erratic, he came with a low groan of pleasure, his gaze never leaving Ienzo’s. His eyelashes fluttered beautifully against his skin, and his lips parted with a cry that he couldn’t quite let out. His skin was flushed and glowing with sweat, and Ienzo felt warmth inside of him, filling him up, and he felt like that hot ball of lead was burning through him again, pushing him over the edge into another blissful oblivion. 

“You’re amazing,” Demyx said as he collapsed next to Ienzo, his arm falling over Ienzo’s stomach and drawing him close. “How are you feeling?” 

“Mmm. Pleasantly at peace with the world.” Ienzo rolled onto his side and buried his face into Demyx’s chest, allowing his eyes to slide shut. “How are you?” 

“Thankful that you didn’t switch rooms.” 

Ienzo chuckled a little. He was completely spent. He had absolutely no idea what time it was, but he knew that he could fall asleep now without a care in the world, wrapped warmly in the arms of the man he had somehow fallen in love with. 

“What else are you thinking?” Demyx asked, pressing a kiss to the top of Ienzo’s head. 

“Hmm...I’m thinking that I might be in love with you.” 

“In love with me? Don’t you think we’re going a little too fast?” Demyx asked incredulously, and for a second, Ienzo’s heart felt like it had stopped beating. Then, as the laughter rumbled through Demyx’s chest, he rolled his eyes and kicked him in the shin. “Ow! Didn’t know you were so mean. Maybe I should rethink some things.” 

“You’re the worst.” 

“Okay,” Demyx said, kissing him again. “I love you too.” 

Thank the gods there was only one bed.


End file.
